In Part 1 of this two part series on selecting the right project manager for the project, we discussed how it isn’t just about putting the best available project manager in the role. There are many aspects that need to be examined – and how the individual matches up with the specific project customer may be the biggest determiner of all – depending on how picky or needy your project client actually is. In Part 2, we’ll consider some of the organizational infrastructure differences that can affect the project team and project manager making getting the right person in the role possibly even more of a challenge…depending on what they can handle. Depending on the type of organization your project managers and team members are coming from, there are some advantages and disadvantages that need to be acknowledged. Generally, were faced with either a Task structure or a Matrix structure. Let’s look at the pros and cons of each…

I think we can all agree that the Obamacare website project has been a complete and utter failure. It doesn't matter if it becomes extremely useful. We will always remember that, as a web project, it was basically a catastrophic failure and it arguably made the most important and recognized man in the world look incompetent, or uninformed and out of touch, or a liar depending on what he didn't know or did know and didn't say or denied. At any rate the October 1 rollout was definitely far from successful.

So what can project managers and project planners learn from this fiasco? Lots. In fact, I'm sure we could fill two or three textbooks with lessons learned from all of this. But let's look primarily at a few concepts and takeaways...

What do you consider to be the most essential aspect of project success? The statement of work? Well-documented requirements? An accurate project schedule? A well-managed budget? While these are all critical pieces to the successful project management puzzle, there is one underlying element to each. What is it? Communication. Every one of these is based on good communication. Communication is the most critical aspect of the project, it is the most important job of the project manager, and – while nothing guarantees project success – poor communication almost assuredly guarantees project failure…every time.

From conducting initial customer engagement meetings, to conducting a formal project kickoff meeting, to handling all team meetings and issues, to conducting weekly and adhoc customer communications both formally and informally….project communication skills are still the fundamental building block to efficient and effective information dissemination and, essentially, project success.

I was recently watching the ESPN documentary on Michael Jordan - arguably the greatest basketball player who ever lived. The documentary was about him giving up basketball after his father's murder and taking up baseball traveling around in the lowly minor leagues...all while he was still in his basketball prime. To say Jordan want outside of his comfort zone in an extreme emotional situation would be an outrageous understatement. But he did it and it made me think of the topic for this article.

Project management is project management – no matter what the industry and no matter what type of project. Certainly, the detail and process differs a bit from type of project to type of project, but overall they are basically the same underneath.

I’ve learned a bit the hard way from a personal experience that is going on right now for me. We purchased a home – more for the lot it sits on than for the home itself. We envisioned what the home could be…and that’s why my wife spent dozens of hours creating a kitchen design she liked and could live with given our family size and kitchen usage. We employed a contractor, gave him our move in date, and asked if he can meet that date (knowing we need move-time of about a week prior). He said he could. That targeted completion date came and went about two weeks ago. A lot has been done on the house, but nothing – repeat nothing – has been truly finished. It will get finished and it will look incredible. I know that. But for some reason I took off my project management hat and shot this one from the hip. Bad call on my part. I’m paying my contactor weekly and I am still lacking a hard end date which means I’m also lacking hard pack and move in dates. When you have a family that is the size that mine is, that’s a problem.

Sometimes success or failure for the project is almost determined before the project even gets underway. What I’m talking about it is selecting the right leader for the right project. It’s not an exact formula…if it were then we could bottle it up and sell it for millions. No, there’s no guarantee for project success no matter what you do or who you select to be on the project or to be the lead project manager. But getting the right body in place at the helm can really get the project off on the right foot. The right mix of relevant experience, customer expertise, and resource management skills – given the team chemistry and customer needs – can sometimes make or break the project, no matter how everything else goes.

As projects begin, expectations on both sides are high as everything is fresh, new, and perfect. Pessimists can say that there's nowhere to go but down. In reality, it's a perfect situation with customers starting off excited about the project at hand and all you have to do is keep them that way. Ok, that's easier said than done. There are many roles the project manager will play…communicator, manager, reporter, decision maker, risk taker, and negotiator are a few of those roles. These roles are a few of the expectations that are laid on the project manager as a project engagement gets underway. I've found – from the customer's point of view – that there are a few basic and specific expectations that the project customer has of the project manager as he embarks on leading their project on the path toward success. These are…

Success and failure on projects can sometimes mean different things to different organizations. There is no exact measuring stick standard in the project management world. There really can’t be that many variations, but since the level of project oversight varies from company to company, so to does the level to which different criteria matters to the powers that be within an organization. And we certainly can’t forget about the project customer – they definitely have a say in whether or not a project is considered a success. Logically, a project could come in on time and on budget but if the customer is unhappy for some reason, then the project could easily be designated a failure.

Communication is the foundation for project management success – I’ll take that thought into every project I manage and every PM discussion I have on the best attributes of a good project manager. Without the ability to practice effective and efficient communication – and plan for such – the project manager will have a very hard time navigating successfully through a long term project to an end solution that satisfies the clients’ end user needs. Good communication is the foundation for getting the project off on the right foot during kickoff, it is the basis for detailed requirements definition, it is a critical aspect of weekly delivery team meetings and information dissemination, and it is the basis for weekly formal status meetings with the project client designed to keep the project moving forward and on track to a successful end deployment.

Over the years as a project manager, I've come across a project phenomenon I call, 'The Sudden Go-Live Realisation'. It occurs when the customer realises their project is coming towards its conclusion and is about to go-live. The product they have worked on for months, sometimes years, is rolling out in front of their bosses, peers and members of the public. This sudden realisation sparks mild panic, "are we ready" they ask. "Is the quality good enough and what if it doesn't work?" The fear of the unknown raises its head, "will my boss be pleased and what happens if she doesn’t like it?" The result of all these questions and doubt is finishing touches, and a push to add last-minute improvements to the product. These usually cost time and money, as this work was not envisaged or planned for at the start of the project.

Authors:

Brad Egeland

Brad Egeland has over 25 years of professional IT experience as a developer, manager, project manager, consultant and author. He has written more than 6,000 expert online articles, eBooks, white papers and video articles for clients worldwide. If you want Brad to write for your site, contact him.